COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 24, 2021 - CTV Edmonton

OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.

Fast Facts:

• Ottawa Public Health reported 165 active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa on Monday.
• CHEO is warning of a rise in respiratory illnesses among children, but posiive COVID-19 test results remain low.
• The Ottawa Redblacks will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend games starting in mid-September.
• Another 23,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in Ottawa last week.

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

• New COVID-19 cases: 22 new cases on Monday.
• Total COVID-19 cases: 28,140
• COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 12.9
• Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.5 per cent (seven day average)
• Reproduction Number: 1.05 (seven day average)

Testing:

Who should get a test?

Ottawa Public Health says you can get a COVID-19 test at an assessment centre, care clinic, or community testing site if any of the following apply to you:

• You are showing COVID-19 symptoms;
• You have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by Ottawa Public Health or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
• You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health;
• You are a resident, a worker or a visitor to long-term care, retirement homes, homeless shelters or other congregate settings (for example: group homes, community supported living, disability-specific communities or congregate settings, short-term rehab, hospices and other shelters);
• You are a person who identifies as First Nations, Inuit or Métis;
• You are a person travelling to work in a remote First Nations, Inuit or Métis community;
• You received a preliminary positive result through rapid testing;
• You are a patient and/or their 1 accompanying escort tra­velling out of country for medical treatment;
• You are a farm worker;
• You are an educator who cannot access pharmacy-testing; or
• You are in a targeted testing group as outlined in guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Long-term care staff, caregivers, volunteers and visitors who are fully immunized against COVID-19 are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test before entering or visiting a long-term care home.

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:

There are several sites for COVID-19 testing in Ottawa. To book an appointment, visit https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx

• The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre: Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• COVID-19 Drive-Thru Assessment Centre at 300 Coventry Road: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre (Kemptville) – 15 Campus Drive: Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Centretown Community Health Centre: Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sandy Hill Community Health Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.
• Somerset West Community Health Centre: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday

COVID-19 screening tool:

The COVID-19 screening tool for summer camp children and staff. All campers and staff must complete the COVID-19 School and Childcare screening tool daily.

Symptoms:

Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath

Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pneumonia, new or unexplained runny nose or nasal congestion

Less common symptoms: unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, headache, delirium, chills, red/inflamed eyes, croup

Ottawa Public Health said Monday that 22 more people in Ottawa tested positive for COVID-19. No new deaths were reported.

To date, Ottawa has seen 28,140 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. No new deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Ottawa since July 8. Another six existing cases are now considered resolved.

There are 165 known active COVID-19 cases in Ottawa, up from 149 in Sunday's report. The weekly incidence rate of new cases per 100,000 population is up, the week average testing positivity rate is down slightly and the number of COVID-19 patients in local hospitals is stable.

CHEO is warning of an increase in respiratory illnesses in school-age children.

The hosital said in a release Monday that the emergency department's volumes are 16 per cent higher than they would be at this time of the year. They're warning families that they may have to wait in "unusual places" in order for staff to maintain physical distancing protocols.

The increase does not appear to be driven by COVID-19, however.

“Ottawa has started to see a slight uptick in the number of positive COVID-19 tests, likely indicating the beginning of a fourth wave. Yet positive COVID-19 tests in kids are low – for the moment – so something else is driving the ED surge,” said Dr. Ken Farion, CHEO's Medical Director of Strategy, Quality and Systems Improvement and an emergency department physician.

The hospital notes that other countries have seen viral surges after lockdowns lift and restrictions that kept those viruses at bay loosen.

The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment (OSEG) says it will soon require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test in order to attend events at TD Place, including Ottawa Redblacks games.

In a statement Monday, OSEG said that starting Sept. 12, all visitors to TD Place 12 and older will need to prove they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide a negative test to gain access to ticketed events. Employees and event staff must also adhere to this policy.

For 67’s games, fans must be fully vaccinated under Ontario Hockey League policy.

In order to be considered fully vaccinated, one must have received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks before the event, OSEG said. A negative test result cannot be any more than 48 hours old.

Children not eligible to be vaccinated will have to complete the health screening questionnaire and those who cannot be vaccinated for an approved medical reason must have a negative COVID-19 test taken 48 hours before the event or game.

The weekly rate of administration of COVID-19 vaccines in Ottawa held steady last week with more than 23,000 doses, similar to the week before.

Ottawa Public Health data show 23,337 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered locally between Aug. 15 and 21, including 6,440 more first doses and 16,897 second shots. 23,386 doses were administered the week of Aug. 8 to 14.

To date, 783,139 residents born in 2009 or earlier have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 717,818 have had two doses. That means 74 per cent of the total population of Ottawa has had at least one dose and 68 per cent have two.

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COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Aug. 24, 2021 - CTV Edmonton
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